Armstrong+Summary+Ramon

You asked if I minded having my paper posted on WIKI for the other students, no I don't mind, that's great if it can help others.

-Mary Ramon 21 February 2007

Chapter 2 Summary

This part of the Armstrong text talks about the Paleolithic Period from //c//. 20000 to 8000 BCE in which the human race is believed to have achieved their biological evolution. She talks about the difference in the various outlooks on the divine and stages of life through the course of this time frame of evolution.

Armstrong describes the first homo sapiens to have viewed the divine as all around them and believed to be constantly in touch with symbols of the divine. Even the simplest items could be viewed as a having some connect or symbolic value to a greater theme such as strength or fertility. Everything they did had a direct correlation with the Divine on a higher level than where they were.

As time progressed humans began to feel a sense of “wrongness” in having to kill other beings that they felt were equal to themselves. Once again, myths were used to help them deal with the bad feelings that the actions of the hunt brought about. Rituals and ceremonies were contrived to honor their kills. They felt connected to the animals they killed and therefore would feel as though they were killing a friend even though it was necessary for survival.

Humans also share the need to believe in realms of existence that transcend the restrictions of normal life. They want to be able to achieve a connection with these realms and if they feel it is impossible they become discouraged in life and disconnected to the Divine. They also needed to understand the need to pass through stages of life and existence. If one can understand that each passage is only the entrance into another stage of existence it can help to ease the fear of it. If a myth does not help this in some way and also help to explain how to deal with the trials and tribulations of life, it will fail and cease to exist over time.